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Edmonton Prospects owner Pat Cassidy always had a vision of what his team could do if given the chance to play at Re/Max Field.

He just needed the opportunity because he knew the status quo of what was happening to Edmonton’s only baseball franchise wasn’t working. They were headed in the wrong direction.

Cassidy had to go all in and he took a big gamble six years ago to move into the river valley ball park, and it’s been more gradual than instant success, but the Prospects are swinging for the fences on and off the field, and the one-time doormat of the Western Major Baseball League has turned into one of the circuit’s flagship franchises.

“I knew that if I kept it going the way it was, this wasn’t going to be a forever thing,” said Cassidy. “I’ve been involved in baseball all my life, and I knew in order for our organization to grow into what I wanted to we had to get into the ball park.

“It doesn’t just happen without tonnes of effort and strategy and execution of plans that you think will work. We’re definitely counting the increased attendance and feeling it and we feel that people are enjoying the ball park.”

The Prospects have had 32,781 fans (of which 7,203 attended the July 1 win over the Brooks Bombers) attend their first 16 home games this season. An average of 2,049 has the organization sitting in second among attendance figures in the 12-team WMBL, a summer college baseball circuit that plays its season over two-and-a-half months and that can trace its roots to the Saskatchewan-based Southern League back in 1931.

After back-to-back successful years on the field in which the Prospects made WMBL championship final appearances, their season ticket base has quadrupled this year from 86 season ticket holders to 350.

That’s a long way from the 296 they averaged in attendance their first year at Re/Max Field and a stratosphere ahead of where they were when the team first played in St. Albert then in south Edmonton’s John Fry Park, when they averaged about 75 fans a game or less.

The Edmonton Prospects play the Medicine Hat Mavericks during a Western Major Baseball League playoff game at RE/MAX Field in Edmonton on Aug. 9, 2017.Ian Kucerak /
Postmedia

Re/Max Field has long been the site of Edmonton’s baseball home, and the Prospects are making it fun to come to the ball park again.

They’ve developed a product that has become enjoyable for more than just the die-hard baseball fans in Edmonton.

Off the field, they’re building interest at the grassroots level. This week, the players and coaches are holding a four-day kids instructional camp.

“The ball park gives the fans in Edmonton the environment they expect when they’re spending their entertainment dollar, and we care about the off-field product just as much as the on-field product,” said Cassidy. “We want the fans to have a great experience away from the field too.”

Bringing in strong baseball minds like Ray Brown and Orv Franchuk to guide the Prospects on the field has done wonders for the Prospects’ on-field success.

“I knew bringing on Ray and Orv would be a big step in stabilizing the on-field product,” said Cassidy. “Between the two of them, they’ve played a pivotal role in what’s going on here.”

The Prospects have now been in the Top 3 for attendance in the WMBL the last five years, seeing attendance climb as time goes on.

“When they came into the league, they didn’t play in a venue that was fan-friendly. It just didn’t give the fans a full experience, but since they got into Re/Max Field, they’ve become a viable ball club and a wonderful success story,” said WMBL president Kevin Kvame. “The Prospects had some work to do to become a relevant team in the WMBL and they’ve done that. It’s nice to see the fans embrace baseball in Edmonton and the river valley.”

From losing the Triple-A Edmonton Trappers in 2004 to the struggles to keep professional independent-league baseball around afterwards, the recent success of the Prospects on and off the field has been a breath of fresh air for baseball fans in Edmonton.

“Edmonton ball fans had some real tough years,” said former Trappers play-by-play voice Al Coates. “The Trappers were sold out from under them, and then some unstable years in the independent leagues, and the fans just want some stability and the Prospects have given them that over the last few years.”

The Prospects have found a home at Re/Max Field, but the future of the ball park in Edmonton’s river valley is up in the air. The city has toyed with the idea of redeveloping the area in the river valley where the ball park is located.

Edmonton Prospects players warm up for the fifth inning against the Swift Current 57 during a Western Major Baseball League playoff game at RE/MAX Field in Edmonton, Alberta on Tuesday, August 15, 2017. Ian Kucerak / Postmedia Photos for Wednesday, Aug. 16 edition.Ian Kucerak /
Postmedia

In 2016, Cassidy signed a four-year lease to take over the operations of the ball park and has made significant strides in showing his brand of baseball can be viable.

“That’s the challenge we’ve taken on. We’ve seen a significant increase in attendance over the last three years,” said Cassidy.

“I think the city has taken notice of what we’ve done. They’ve taken notice that baseball is here to stay and the fans are showing it by coming to the ball park.”

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